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LIFE Vicar’s Blog

This week I witnessed the joy and hard work and celebration of a skatepark being built by a brilliant team and a great community event being launched for the 7th time.

Then I walked back to the vicarage to look, a few moments later, at the shattering and destabilisation of community in eastern Ukraine.

One of the challenges of 21st century, globally-connected life is that we can find ourselves in our very lightest and most fun-filled moments suddenly interrupted by simply appalling news from another part of the planet. The puncturing of joy or just our normality by our bewildered disbelief is itself becoming commonplace, a new normal even. On January 7th this year, as Europe watched in horror at the 12 murders at the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris, only a few kilometres away parents would have been helping

their children on and off rides at Disneyland Paris, with Mickey Mouse watching on and their phones quietly informing them of the unfolding atrocity at the heart of their nation. Nothing wrong at all with the rides, everything totally wrong with the murders, and genuine complexity at trying to hold these two realities together.

In the many international comments about a recent IS execution the Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott described IS as a ‘death cult.’ The accuracy and eeriness of that phrase reminded me that the church has an increasingly important vocation to be a community of life; and that we are called to work and pray relentlessly for the life of Christ in our own community and beyond. Even the death of the Son of God at the centre of our faith is expressly for the purpose of life:

A B B E Y D I A RY THIS SUNDAY: February 22nd 9am BCP Communion 10.30am Holy Communion & Baptisms 4pm All-age Communion THIS WEEK ‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’ (John 10:10) So our skate park may not change the world, although this year it has made the news in Italy, Russia and Australia and features on CBBC’s Newsround and BBC Songs of Praise.

But it does bring life. This week one local skater described to a reporter how, over the years, the MAS community had got him through some really tough challenges in his life.

This Thursday morning at prayer before the park opened, another young man, who had been drawn into the Abbey by MAS2009, led us in prayer.

In Him was life. And that life was the light of all people. (John 1:4)

EACH DAY 9am Morning Prayer TUES 24th 9.30am Women Alive 7.30pm Glory!

WED 25th 10.30am Communion THURS 26th 10.30am Time for Chat 7.30pm Choir Practice SAT 28th 9.30am Choir Practice 10am The Meeting Place

NEXT SUNDAY: March 1st 9am BCP Communion 10.30am Holy Communion 4pm Informal Worship, the Grid & Junior Church 6.30pm Choral Evensong

ADVANCE Mar 24th Holy Week Festival begins Apr 24th Election Hustings Apr 26th Vision Sunday & AGM

MA R K 1 : 9 - 1 5 9

At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptised by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’

12

At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

14

After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’

Additional Reading: Genesis 9:8-17

DISCIPLESHIP 1.

2.

3.

Read Mark 1: 9-15 together.

Take time to think about your experiences of baptism – your own, your children’s – and what significance they have had in your spiritual journey. Share with the group any particular sense you had of God’s blessing or of His Holy Spirit resting on you, and of God’s faithfulness to your baptism.

For Jesus, his period of fasting, temptation and preparation for ministry came after His baptism.

What are the particular struggles and temptations you are facing this Lent? How will you make yourself accountable for tackling those things this Lent?

After Jesus had been baptised, he went into Galilee proclaiming ‘the good news of God’.

How can we use Lent to prepare ourselves to share the good news of the gospel with our friends, family and community?

D A I LY R E A D I N G S Monday Psalm 71 Jeremiah 4:19-end John 5:1-18 Tuesday Psalm 73 Jeremiah 5:1-19 John 5:19-29 Wednesday Psalm 77 Jeremiah 5:20-end John 5:30-end Thursday Psalm 42 Jeremiah 6:9-21 John 6:1-15 Friday Psalm 55 Jeremiah 6:22-end John 6:16-27

REGULAR GIVING If you would like to give regularly to the mission and ministry of the Abbey as part of your discipleship, please e-mail alan@malmesburyabbey.com.

REFRESH!

T H A N K YO U

The first Refresh! women’s event of 2015 will be held on Tuesday 3 March at Malmesbury Abbey. The speaker will be Richenda MiltonDaws (Licensed Lay Minister at Charlton Church) and she will be speaking on God’s Character. The 2015 Programme and invitation for this event will be circulated soon.

Churches, families and individual lives are changed each year by the exuberant and servant hearted ministry of hundreds at Malmesbury Abbey Skate. A profound and sincere thank you from all the leadership team to all whose hearts, hands and prayers made MAS2015 a phenomenal success on so many levels. You were, and are, awesome.

Thank you.

HUSTINGS

OPEN DOORS PRAYER

On Friday April 24th at 7.30pm there will be a General Election Hustings hosted at Malmesbury Abbey. In an event, which will be a little like BBC’s Question Time, all those standing to be the next MP for the North Wiltshire constituency will be answering questions posed by the ’studio’ audience. More details to follow, but an important date for your diary.

Please join us as we pray for Persecuted Christians. We meet in Eilmer House at 2.30pm on Tuesday 3rd March. This month we'll be focusing on 5 of the countries where Christians suffer the most, using a prayer CD produced by Open Doors. For more information please contact Mike Langtree.

12th CENTURY BEAUT Y 21st CENTURY CHURCH

NOTICEBOARD B A P T I S M O N E A S T E R D AY All our services on Easter Day at the Abbey are joyous celebrations of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If you would like to be baptised at our 4pm service on Easter Day could you please contact one of the clergy or Sandie in the Parish Office by the end of February.

EASTER EVE VIGIL We are considering holding an all-night Easter Vigil from 10pm on Easter Eve until 6am on Easter Morning. The Abbey will be open all night, with prayer and worship every 30 minutes and probably a fire outside and simple food and drink shared. Then at 6am there will be Holy Communion and breakfast together. If you are interested in being a part of this could you e-mail Sandie so we get an idea of numbers. office@malmesburyabbey.com

REVD DR EMMA INESON Advance notice that we have a guest preacher joining us at our 4pm service on Sunday March 1st. Revd Dr Emma Ineson is the Principal of Trinity College, Bristol, which recently produced the Revds Lee Barnes, John Monagahan and Linda Sullivan. Her areas of research include gender studies, charismatic theology, spirituality and leadership.

Enquiries 01666 826666 // Box Office 01666 824339 office@malmesburyabbey.com www.malmesburyabbey.com issuu.com/malmesburyabbey

ABBEY OFFICE Monday (10am-12noon) Tuesday-Friday (9.30am– 3pm) Tel: 01666 826666 sandie@malmesburyabbey.com

CAFÉ HOURS Tuesday-Saturday (normal) 9am– 3.30pm Sunday & Monday closed all day clare@malmesburyabbey.com

www.malmesburyabbey.com issuu.com/malmesburyabbey Staff members can be contacted by name@malmesburyabbey.com

HOLY WEEK FESTIVAL 2015 MAR 24-28 THE GARDEN LABYRINTH MAR 28 ART//STATIONS OF THE CROSS MAR 28 COMEDY & JAZZ //PAUL KERENSA with PETER JAMES & ROSIE ARCHER* MAR 29 THE KAIROS ENSEMBLE//REJOICING BLUES* MAR 30 PROFESSOR SIMON CONWAY MORRIS MAR 31 THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME* APR 1 GLORY! PRAYER APR 2 THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC* GOOD FRIDAY ALLEGRI & JSBACH APR 4 BBC WILTSHIRE//EASTER FROM THE ABBEY* EASTER DAY SERVICES AT 6AM, 9AM, 10.30AM, 4PM & 6.30PM *TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM MARCH 1ST